Mass. Bill Would Tighten Oversight Of Amusement Parks

BOSTON (AP) -- Amusements parks operating in Massachusetts would come under tougher scrutiny and oversight under a bill approved by state senators.

The bill approved Thursday would require amusement parks with more than 35 rides to hire emergency medical personnel and increase the insurance coverage from a minimum of $1 million per ride to $2 million per ride.

The legislation would also provide mandatory accident reporting procedures, clarify the authority of the state's public safety commissioner to regulate the ride, and require the keeping of a log of all regular maintenance schedules, service and repair reports, and any accidents or injuries that occurred on any of the rides.

Under the bill, the penalty for violations would jump from $1,000 per violation to $5,000 per violation.